Polish PM on dispute over Heroes of Ukrainian Insurgent Army: Ukraine created the problem and should find a solution
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that it is up to Ukraine to resolve tensions in Polish-Ukrainian relations following the decision to name a Special Operations Forces unit after the Heroes of the UPA. [The UPA, or Ukrainian Insurgent Army, was a nationalist paramilitary organisation that fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II, primarily against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union – ed.]
As reported by Polish news portal RMF24, Tusk described the situation as "an entirely unnecessary conflict over historical interpretations".
"The Ukrainian side created this problem itself, so now it should look for a solution. My people are currently in talks with Mr Budanov, the head of President Zelenskyy's office [...]. All the responsibility now lies with the Ukrainian side to somehow resolve this entirely unnecessary conflict over historical interpretations," Tusk said on his way back from Tivat, Montenegro, where he was attending the EU-Western Balkans summit.
Tusk's remarks came after Volodymyr Zelenskyy granted the honorary designation "named after the Heroes of the UPA" to the Separate Special Operations Centre North of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a decision that sparked outrage in Poland. President Karol Nawrocki has announced that he wants Zelenskyy to be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest and oldest state decoration, which he was awarded by former president Andrzej Duda.
"After this unfortunate incident, namely the decision announced by President Zelenskyy, I fully understood President Nawrocki's reaction. I might have reacted differently," the prime minister said on board the aircraft.
"Everyone has their own national sensitivities, and I understand that Ukrainians will honour those who fought against the Soviet occupier, but I would not understand if they also wanted to honour those who killed Poles – their closest allies [...]. The support and assistance that Poland and other European countries, but especially Poland, provide to Ukraine is something our neighbours should take very seriously. Perhaps these arguments will get through to Kyiv. If not, it will mean that our relations will be determined not by empathy, but by hard business," he added.
On the subject of Ukraine's possible accession to the European Union, the prime minister said that "Poland and the EU maintain that anyone wishing to join the European community must meet the required criteria".
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki met with Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, on 5 June. Their discussion focused on the controversy surrounding the naming of the Special Operations Forces unit after the Heroes of the UPA.
Earlier, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called on Zelenskyy to reconsider his decision.